From the pages of Canadian Railway Modeller: Morgan Turney, in his own words

  Wouldn’t it be great to see working steam in southern Ontario? That was the goal of the Toronto Steam Committee back in 2000. I wrote about it back then in CRM. Alas, it didn’t pan out , reportedly due to factors such as railway liability and insurance requirements, higher operating and maintenance costs for certified steam locomotives, limited access to mainline trackage from CN and CP, and increasingly complex boiler and safety regulations—and lack of funding. But it still would have been something to see! In this Dome Car I also note the passing of railway photographer Lawrence Stucky, who chronicled trains on the prairies. And who remembers that Toronto once bid for the Olympics? Not me. Toronto didn't get the Olympics, but it may get a working steam locomotive. That is, if a small group called the Toronto Steam Committee (TSC) has its way.   The goal of the TSC, which began as an e mail forum on Yahoo!, is to explore the possibility of restoring a large Canadian mai...

  Morgan is chuffed with this tenth anniversary issue—as he should be! Running any small business is hard, and CRM was no exception. Between dealing with the post office, the printer and recalcitrant advertisers who didn’t pay on time, he had lots to keep him going and cause him anxiety. But he believed in it, and he stuck with it—and subscribers stuck with him. And the magazine made a difference for Canadian model railroaders, as he noted. At the very end of this Dome Car, he wonders what he will write for the twentieth anniversary; unfortunately, CRM never made it that far. But we have some great memories!   If you're like me, maybe you looked at this issue's cover and said: "Has it really been ten full years since this magazine started?" Boy, how time flies when you're havin' fun, eh?   Yes, this is the tenth anniversary issue of Canada's model train magazine. And, despite the usual trials and tribulations of running a small business, it has bee...

  This Dome Car underscores how far the hobby has come, what with an announcement of new Canadian rolling stock and locomotives we all take for granted these days. Along with that, Morgan says there will soon be an article about how to kitbash a GMD-1. He goes on to say that readers shouldn't expect a commercially available plastic GMD-1 any time soon. He was right; the first plastic model of that iconic locomotive came out from Rapido in 2017. And this is my first cover shot, of a VIA unit emerging from a tunnel on my former CP Rail Manitoba & Minnesota Sub.   As I look outside today, the snow is gone—finally! Unless, of course, you live in Newfoundland; they'll have the white stuff well into June! That will suit one of our contributors though, just fine. Steve Vallis says that as long as the snow is on the ground, he doesn't have to do yard work and can spend more time getting his layout finished!   But for the rest of us, spring usually means another new begin...

  The previous issue, with its feature article about Dave Winter’s G scale layout, prompted a lot of feedback about that scale—something Morgan notes in this Dome Car. And he also notes that CRM is coming near the end of its tenth year, which he is looking forward to celebrating. One thing that caught him by surprise was the number of subscribers from other countries who model Canadian railways. That was unexpected! We were able to feature a couple of them in the magazine.   We had some very positive feedback to the article about Dave Winter's G scale layout in Train 10 Track 3. It seems there are a lot more G scalers out there than we had anticipated. One fellow called to tell me that the entire back yard of his home is one great big outdoor layout. Now that would be something to see! He told me that it frees up his basement, something his wife is happy about.   It's not surprising that outdoor railroading is so popular. The nice thing about it is that it gets one ou...

  One thing that was certain about Morgan: He was an evangelist for the hobby of model railroading. He was constantly encouraging modellers to talk about the hobby and take kids to train shows. Of course, he had a commercial reason for being so enthusiastic: If there were no new modellers, the future of CRM was dim. But it also came from a genuine place in his heart. He loved the hobby and he loved to promote it.   Most model railroaders tell me that there's nothing like going to the local train show. It's a safe bet that we've all been to at least one over the past year. I'm no exception; I like going to them too. I've attended four this yea—three as an exhibitor and one as a visitor. Which one did I enjoy the most? Well, the one where I didn't have to work, of course!   As a visitor to the Mid-Canada Hobby and Toy Show, held in Winnipeg each October, I was free to enjoy each aspect of the exhibits and displays. But the most fun is watching the parents and ...

  Ti-Cat boxcars; that’s a new one for me! Morgan writes about that as an aside in this issue's Dome Car, describing the unique yellow and black TH & B boxcars that were inspired by his beloved Hamilton Tiger Cats football uniforms. He mentioned that while praising the role of special interest groups (SIGs) like the TH&B Historical Society.   And he marks the passing of John Rendall of JR Scale Models of Bracebridge, Ont. Anyone still have one of those kits?   Somebody once asked me if I thought that the prototype special interest groups and their publications served any useful purpose for the modeller. My answer was a resounding "Yes!"   Recently, I received my copy of the Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Rail way 'Focus', the official publication of the TH&B Historical Society. Inside was an extensive article of some 15 pages on the history of the TH&B box car by Lance Brown. His well researched and documented article covered the time period b...